The National Ombudsman of the Netherlands is no longer taking part in the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The NPM was founded in 2011 to prevent inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens kept in detention. The ombudsman has criticized the functioning and structure of the mechanism, its insufficiently independent inspections as well as the lack of a clear vision on its tasks and is therefore no longer prepared to bear the responsibility for it. In so doing, he hopes to be sending out a strong signal concerning the necessity to improve the functioning of the NPM-network.